r/ProjectRunway

I feel like this Reddit is filled with people hating Law, but omg I love him. I watch a lot of reality competition shows and over the years, whether it be Project Runway or any other show, it feels like the judges are constantly being nice lately, no matter if what the contestant did was awful. It’s like everything is sugar coated. There’s some outfits on this show that are god awful and judges will say something like we love the fabric and the vision but it’s not up to the standards we set for you. Fine it’s BARELY a critique but It’s like all the judges are constantly walking on their tippy toes to try to be nice when in reality the shit looks fucking awful.

It is honestly amazing to finally have a judge who JUDGES. Who sees a piece of shit and literally just calls it out for what it is - a piece of shit. I honestly don’t even think the majority is mean! He’s saying what over half of us are thinking in our heads. Sure I guess the truth hurts and the truth can be mean, but it’s the blunt truth and people need to hear it.

Just finished watching the Ziwe interview, and it really endeared me to him. If you’re struggling with law a lot this season, maybe watch it!

I def don’t agree with every one of his takes and opinions on looks (esp the intense Joseph McRae hate(although some of the critiques are warranted)), but I still really do like him. He’s not a moral paragon. There are also a lot of fair criticisms about him including how he dresses non sample sized women and that he dresses Mrs. Bezos. Regardless, he is so funny and has great taste. He also knows his fashion history (hence why he loved Aaron). I appreciate that he doesn’t just agree with his fellow judges. He really cares about the DESIGN of a garment. He’s often calling out things that other judges ignore (how Bryan’s dress would fit Hidi, the problems with Jude’s design).

Additionally, I think he is a good judge on a weak panel. Different judges on the show have always played different roles or added different areas of expertise, and I think the weakness of the panel overall is causing a lot of friction. It’s all out of balance. Heidi and Nina are not showing up like they used to. There is no consistent designer on the panel which makes judging feel hollow. Some of the rotating and guest judges are great. Some add nothing (cough Tyra). There is no good counter balance to law so it makes it more grating.

.

I understand if self taught designers have trouble with execution… but in the past few seasons including this one, I find that designers who went to the country’s supposed best fashion schools seem to struggle with sewing?

Is it because of the time crunch? Or is it that they didn’t learn as much while they were at school? Isn’t garment construction the main thing they are getting their degree on during 4 years?

I am planning to transfer fashion school after and have yet to learn how to make clothes… I regret not learning how to sew at 13 like Christian lmao

How was Tyra Banks chosen as a judge when she asks LIRIS what her name is during judging? Did she really know so little about PR, or was she pretending not to know because she felt threatened by Liris’s popularity. I assume it is the former and she just never watched the show, but that surprised me. Anyone else?

This is not the same thing as saying that I LIKE Law Roach, but I do think he’s the correct judge for a show like this today. Not because he’s a good judge of fashion, knows how to sew, or design, but because the world of fashion itself has changed.

For years, now, we’ve seen fewer and fewer competitors come on the show hoping to be a fashion designer in the tradition of a Michael Kors. Think of all of the competitors across all of the years, and only Christian, one of the very earliest competitors, accomplished this. Other competitors and a handful of winners managed some limited success, but PR never could deliver on what it promised - access to sustained lines of credit and real understanding of fashion from securing fabric to the logistics of factory work, shipping, distribution and THEN all of the “fun” work of product placement, marketing and advertising. PR quickly became a place where you could give contestants the “fun” mostly American based option, but there is sooooo much that has to happen before even getting to that point.

What the show did start to offer, and eventually completely became, was a place to showcase and advertise work for an individual client to commission. It’s done really well for contestants here - but Michael Kors didn’t get wealthy for creating looks for Celebrity A, or Athlete B. They became household names by selling upper middle class products in mass production.

Over time, the competitors and producers seem to have realized this. Plenty of people have tried to make different shows offering a more realistic approach (the first season of Making the Cut certainly tried to at least show how fashion is a global enterprise, not something you could do anymore from your garage) but these shows didn’t have the charm and nostalgia the PR earned.

So now you have an industry that isn’t about runways, models, and splashy glossy magazines. But in some ways, we still wish it were, because that’s what we remember. Fashion today is everything about creating a look, not a line. It’s about red carpet photographs, not a fall line. Nina Garcia and her “editorial” take are not as relevant, but customers (including Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks) still are.

25 years ago, people like Michael Kors were the gatekeepers of the fashion industry, and impressing him meant a ticket to advance. But these years, people like Law Roach - the stylists, the dressers - are the gatekeepers. If you impress Law and his counterparts, you gain access.

In my opinion only Joseph MacCrae seems to be an actual fashion designer. He’s rooted into using his own signature in various types of looks and ways. This would be completely understandable to a Michael Kors, but Law Roach isn’t looking for a designer, he’s looking for an outfit. A designer’s signature would quickly look predictable if his client wore it all the time. He’s not creating and curating stores, he’s creating and curating closets.

Viewed this way, the show now makes sense. Who the contestants are, who the mentor is, who the judges are, including Law. But for anyone who is nostalgic for the show in its hey day, it feels mean and sometimes very small. Because it is kind of small, now.

We all know of "Make It Work", "Carry on", or "Don't bore Nina" but what are you favorite Gunnisms.

For me, its calling anything a mess "Flotsam and Jetsam". Him characterizing Dom's print dress during the Million Dollar Runway challenge as something a "Goldigging Floozy" would wear.

isn't it gross that they call each other mommy and daddy ???????? the way she infantilizes herself is weird, right? i'm not interested in her whole "i'm such a baby come help me and care for me" act. especially when she cried like a toddler when octavio got voted out like😭 my mom and i have been scouring seeing if anyone has said anything about it and they haven't ... i just feel like it's such a creepy thing

Hi fans! I'm back for this season as a relatively new fan of Project Runway. Season 21 was my first watch through last year, and as a new fan, even I had some criticisms for how that season went. I'm curious if season 22 has made improvements from last season so far, or is it about the same, or (hopefully not) worse?

I'm convinced that we have seen the last of Tyra this season-- or that her role will be minimal.

If you think about timelines... the show was filmed in February/March of this year. February 16th was when Netflix's ANTM doc came out, followed by two other docs in the weeks following, all painting Tyra in a bad light.

Tyra clearly thought she would come out clean and we all know she didn't.

I’m so sad about what has happened to this show. I’ve watched every single season, so I’m painfully continuing to watch. I think I need to give up on it ever getting back to a good place, though.

Most of the show is this fake, unfunny drama. It’s so cringe and embarrassing. They spend about 30 seconds on the top looks. They didn’t even bring the models out for the top looks in the NFL challenge.

I also hate that Christian seems to tell them what to do in his critiques more than guide their thinking. They don’t have to take his suggestions, but idk something about it feels so amateur. I really like Christian and he’s a great resource and mentor for them, something is just off overall. I think the designers not having enough time for these challenges really hurts the show too. It’s giving budget.

Regarding the brilliant marketing and self-promotion of The Joseph McRae Show ... Let's look at HESTER SUNSHINE from season 17. Like Joseph, she also had/has the look, personality, talent, and street cred to proudly stand by a handle like "The Hester Sunshine Show". (It's never too late, Hester - we love your work!)! Let's not forget how Nina Garcia applauded the unique yet recognizable whimsy of Hester's garments and her finale collection. Talk about being recognizable! You KNEW who made those garments... The show has always championed the concept of "who are you as a designer?" and always asked the designers to have a "point of view." This is why Law isn't an appropriate choice to be a judge. Besides being an appauling person, he threw away the integrity of PR built by Nina and Michael. I applaud Joseph McRae for his brilliant marketing and self-promotion, and I look forward to watching "The Joseph McRae Show" on PR every week.